Transparency will help enable we the people to solve multiple problems.

I think it is clear that every American`s top priority is stopping the oil flow in the gulf. Damage prevention, cleanup and making sure fishermen and small business are not the ones paying for BP`s mistakes, must also be immediately addressed. At the same time we must make sure this does not happen again. Some environmentalists are citing this as proof oil is too dangerous. BP has not given me any confidence they have the tools to stop the oil, other then drilling a relieve well. But it looks like this blowout is the result of negligence by BP, not the result of a faulty drilling method. We should not focus on new rules, when we do not enforce the current ones. It is past administrations that have allowed the transfer of drilling risk to the American people. We need to restore the free market, so companies have a financial incentive to be prepared for the risks they profit from. Then they will only take manageable risks. We need to address the causes of the problem, not just the results of the problem. For example the MMS agency has been known for sex and drug scandals with the industry it is in charge of policing. There has been a revolving door of corporate lobbyists in the government. Why is it so hard to get rid of them and replace them with someone who is not corrupt? Multiple reasons but i think lack of transparency is one of the largest. Transparency is one of our most important tools to preserve freedom. It is currently legal for Senators funded by British Petroleum to put a secret hold on people they do not like. How do we know which representatives to vote for or against, when their actions are secret? How can we get honest people voted in, when special interests can put a secret hold on anyone who does not take their bribes? There is an effort to end special interest`s secret holds in the 2010 wallstreet bill. Unfortunately Jim DeMint spoke up against it. He says, he is for ending special interest`s secret holds but blocked it because he does not think it is related. Maybe now Jim DeMint sees how special interest`s secret holds can have a negative effect on all issues? Think of the common sense safety measures the industry would self-impose, once they no longer had a revolving door of lobbyists and their risk is no longer socialized.